Label for household linen



Oct. 2-7, 1936.

D. (5.. DONOVAN LABEL .FOR HOUSEHOLD LINEN Filed June 9, 1954 & 14 10 1a 14- 1e 2 r w I I I n 1p PIPPEREQLL PEPPERELL PEPFERELL o boua e DOUBLE 1? I- 7 an E sen z .Z r 1 111 5 I .14 PEPPER LL DOUBLE BED V N [/5 N TO R bawxa 6 35 ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 27, 1936 nirso sTArEs PATENT o cglg' I LABEL FOR HOUSEHOLD "LINEN Daniel G. Donoyan, Randolph, MaSS-l'assignoru .to Bepperell ,Manufacturingflompany, Boston, Mass, a corporation ofMassachusdtts Application June 9, 1934, SSerial'FNo. 129,823 I 4Claims. ('cl;4o 2i j U This invention relatesto cloth labels adapted particularly for attachment to household linen, such as sheets, towels and the like, to display identifying indicia. Its object is to provide an article of that character which, when attached, not only affords plainly visible means of. identification but which at the same time does not project outwardly from the edge of the linen to catch on bed springs or other objects with which the sheet may come in contact.

Heretofore it has been customary to identify and classify sheets as to their length, width, type of bed on which they are to be'used, etc., by attaching to the reverse side of the hem, near one edge of the sheet, a label bearing the desired information. The inaccessibility of such labels and the necessity for looking through the folds and edges of the sheet to locate and read them has led to the suggestion of a label in the form of a tab attached to one of the hems and protruding outwardly as a tongue from the edge of the sheet. Such devices, however, are objectionable in that they readily catch on objects with which the sheet comes in contact, such as the springs of the bed, parts of washing and ironing machines and the like, with the result that such objects may tear the tabs and even the sheets to which they are attached.

The label of my invention overcomes these disadvantages while being plainly visible in the sheets of a pile, whereby the sheet of the desired characteristics may be readily selected from the rest of the sheets of the pile. My label fits closely around and is stitched to the corner of the sheet. It preferably presents a brilliantly colored stripe at the point of the corner and running a short distance along each edge of the corner to increase its ready visibility.

The labels of my invention are manufactured in strip form, each strip comp-rising a succession of individual labels, each of. which when out from the strip is rectangular in shape and is approximately twice as long as it is wide and has two opposite selvage edges which are inherently nonravelling and two opposite cut edges which are ravelling. My label is then folded into a triangular shape to fit closely around the corner of the sheet. When so folded, the label presents a triangular portion on one side of the sheet, with one of the selvage edges extending diagonally across the sheet corner, and two triangular flaps on the other side of the sheet. The two out edges of these flaps are in alignment with each other and opposite the said selvage edge of the triangular portion on the other side of the sheet. The label is then sewn to the sheet by a single straight line of :stitching which passes through these edges there'by notonly firmly securing the label in place vlbutalso'binding its cut edges to prevent ravelling thereof. I i i "'Iheseand other characteristics andadvantages of my invention'will appeariromamore detailed description thereof taken in connection with the accompanying'drawing, in which: l Fig. l is a view showing the continuous strip of cloth comprising "a succession of individual labelsy Flg."2is' a face view of a label" after it' has been cut' from-thestrip and prior to folding;

Fig. 3ris a View 'ofra corner ofa sheet, broken" away, showing the front side- 0f 'the label when secured-*iiipcsition;

Fig. 4 is a v iew similar to-*FigL--3 'showing the other side of the label; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a pile of sheets stored in the customary manner and provided with my labels.

As indicated in the drawing and particularly Fig. 1, the labels are manufactured in the form of a continuous strip I having opposite selvage edges 2 and 3, successive labels being suitably spaced apart. As indicated in Fig. 2, the individual label, when cut from the strip, is rectangular in shape. As shown, the two selvage edges 4 and 5 are about twice as long as the cut edges 0 6 and 1. The label is provided, as shown, with significant reading matter on the triangular portion l0 and further reading matter on the triangular flaps I I. The reading matter may be printed or it may be woven directly into the fabric.

The label is preferably provided also with woven ribs of color material which both enhancethe appearance of the label and serve a useful function. The cross ribs l2 define the ends of the individual label and serve to indicate the space between the individual labels at which they should be cut from the strip. The ribs l3 and I4 mark the general outline of the triangle which appears on the front side of the sheet corner, as indicated in Fig. 3.

The ribs l2, l6 and I! mark the outline of the triangular flaps which are folded closely around the corner of the sheet and appear on the reverse side thereof, as indicated in Fig. 4. The ribs M of the large triangle are spaced slightly from the ribs I! of the smaller triangular flaps, as shown, by a. space which extends approximately from the {center of the lower selvage edge 5 toward the corners 20 and 2! of the opposite selvage edge 4. This spacing may serve to define lines on which the flaps may be folded around the corner of the sheet. In place of the Woven ribs, the label may be printed with colored stripes.

When my label is folded around the corner of a sheet, the cut edges 6 and I of the flaps are in line and also are directly opposite the selvage edge 4 of the portion In. Thus the label can be secured to the corner of a sheet, as indicated in Figs. 3 and 4, by a single line of stitching 25 which passes through the edge 4, the sheet and the cut edges 6 and 1 (Fig. 4). Thereby the cut edges} and l, which are apt to ravel, are bound by "the stitching and the label is firmly secured about the corner of the sheet. I I i As shown in Fig. 5, the labels on the corners of a pile of sheets are clearly visibleye'speciafly when the ribs or stripes are brilliantly colored,'so

that it is easy to select from the pile ofisheets' that:

sheet having the desired characteristics as depicted on the label.

I claim:

l. A piece of household linen, such as a sheet or the like, having a corner enclosed in a label displaying identifying markings, said label having a triangularly shaped portion on the front surface of the sheet corner, the apex of said triangular portion being disposed adjacent the point of the corner of the sheet, and the side of saidtriangular portion, opposite said apex, being disposed diagonally across the said corner of the sheet, said label also having on the reverse of said sheet corner a pair of triangular flaps folded over the edges of said sheet corner, and stitching securing said label to the sheet corner by passing through the said diagonally disposed side of said triangular portion on the front of the sheet corner, through the sheet and through edges of the flaps on the reverse side of the sheet.

2. A piece of household linen, such as a sheet or the like, having a corner enclosed in a label displaying identifying markings, said label having a triangularly shaped portion on the front surface of the sheet corner, the apex of the said triangular portion being disposed adjacent the point of the corner of the sheet and the sides of said triangular portion adjacent said apex being marked with colored stripes extending substantially parallel to the edges of the sheet corner,

said label also having on the reverse side of said sheet a pair of flaps folded over the edges of said sheet corner, and lying in the same plane, each flap having an edge in abutting relation to an edge of the other flap and stitching securing the label to the sheet corner.

3. A piece of household linen, such as a sheet or the like, having a corner enclosed in a label displaying identifying markings, said label being folded to cover equal triangularly-shaped areas on the front and reverse surfaces of the corner of the sheet and having cut edges, said out edges being opposite the corner apex of the sheet and sewed to the sheet by a single line of stitching.

4. A piece of household linen, such as a sheet or the like, having secured to a corner a label disv.playing identifying markings, said label being 

